NewStats: 3,263,446 , 8,180,169 topics. Date: Thursday, 05 June 2025 at 11:44 PM 53466y

Adewumi2888:
Good day everyone. So I came to UK when my spouse was still on ILR. Now my spouse has British Citizenship. Does the 1 year waiting time applied to me or not ?

More clarity needed here. When did you come into the country and what visa were you on?

Fraih:
Hi all,
Pls when applying for any visa with a dependant, can the dependant submit his/her application few days later?

Yes, as long as the application is made before the visa of the dependant expires.

rock86:
Hello guys, why is PAYE not deducted from my pay for the past months? Should I be worried?

It happens with your first job, especially when starting towards the end of the tax year. Your pay has been estimated to be within your tax allowance.

JustAerBy:
British citizenship after 4 years?
ILR was done after 3 years.
12 months later, is that individual eligible to apply for citizenship?

Post ILR, the no of years spent on any type of leave is irrelevant, it only matters when counting down to ILR. What matters for citizenship application is the 12 months spent in the UK after ILR. So yes the person can apply for citizenship.

elengine:
For those that locked in 2.8% 5 year mortgage in 2020. How are they going to face reality in 2025? Just thinking over this for knowledge sake. Have you all got your shock absorber

We locked in 1.41% for 5 years in 2022, we are currently setting aside a set sum in a savings with a 4.9% interest rate. Hopefully a sizable amount would have been accumulated in this pot by the time the current deal expires. The plan is to overpay the mortgage with this and keep repayments at the current level or lower, if not possible we go chest am and move.

igbsam:


For someone like me that have been in the uk for over a year and just planning to drive. Can i still use my Nigerian license for awhile, while i await to write my practical driving test next year. The closest date i found is April.

As you've been in the UK for more than a year, you can no longer use your Nigerian licence. It is also not worth the risk.

Goodenoch:
So, we picked up our new (to us) house keys yesterday.

Offer to completion took just shy of 7 months, but it really could and should have been much shorter, maybe even just a couple of months. Sellers' first lawyers were just unresponsive and then the new ones they got four months in missed something crucial that made us have to go back to the land registry a day before our original target completion date, and then spend an additional three weeks sorting it out till we exchanged and completed yesterday (same day).

I've said all the above to plead with you to please in the name of God don't go for the cheapest lawyers you find online because you want to save a few hundred quid. If you do you might end up with an online-only, call center-esque law firm like our sellers' one.

Another issue was the AML checks we had to do for our broker. We had to submit close to two years' worth of statements from multiple bank and investment s and it was extremely frustrating, albeit understandable in the circumstances.

Other than those, it was all good and we're really stoked to get started doing up the house. We only viewed three houses because we had very specific requirements (particularly a spare ground floor room that'd function as a home gym). We were initially tempted by one 1930s house but after meeting the owners on the second viewing we realized there were many issues the agents had glossed over. The owner literally told us "I haven't done a lot of maintenance I should have because I don't have the money." We ran away as fast our legs would carry us.

Second one was good but on the small side, had an awkward multi-level garden and most crucially was in a very inconvenient location.

The one we went for was perfect in all respects - very large main house and with a garage + home office extension. Also, madam fell in love with it as soon as she saw the large garden and excercised her veto power - even though it'll be me mowing the lawn but wetin man go do?

Thanks to everyone here, particularly madam Ticha for all the guidance here and directly, and to the person who first posted about it being possible to get a mortgage without having spent 2 years in the country.

Congratulations

elengine:
Dilemma pls help;

Option A- a new build with deposit unlock and 1040 GBP monthly payment. The ish is my wife and children do not like the area.

Option B- same size of the house. No deposit unlock and I don't have 10% contribution. I have a mortgage at 95% but the interest rate is over the roof. Monthly payment of 1500 GBP fixed for 5 years. My family likes the area and we don't need to relocate school. If I have 10% I would pay 1200 GBP monthly. Nice location and it comes with solar . The price of the house is more than the above.

Option C- If I don't buy now, I may not see the opportunity to own house in that area. In the end, I may be paying rent of 1250 to 1300 monthly starting from next year. Advice please

Can you truly afford to go with option B, because in the end affordability is what matters the most. If you must buy now, option A sounds more like it if you can convince the family. Any particular reason why they don't like the area?

Estroller:


Update!

Application for renewal was submitted with my expired port (I added my appointment slip as evidence of renewal with a note about the delay in getting appointment dates). Decision was made in about 2 weeks and it was successful.

lightnlife

moshuur:
Hello....I have capital 1 Credit card

I wan comot 200 pounds from the credit card straight to my bank .

Pls how can I go about this?

Abort mission, if you must do it with a money transfer card. You can also explore using overdraft instead. If you don't have one, try and see if you can get one with your bank. If your bank offers the current switch service, you can switch your current to First Direct, they have a generous overdraft facility with 0 interest on the first £250 plus they are currently offering a £150 bonus for current switchers. I'll explore this last option first if I'm in your shoes.

..

oluwaleokey:


Just a bit curious.... how does enrolling for overdraft facility helps with credit building? Must you utilise the overdraft when you subscribe?

I think it's the other way round... utilising overdraft indicates you are struggling financially... I stand to be corrected... can you please explain
Many thanks

An overdraft is a line of credit like any other type of credit (loan, credit card, phone/SIM contract, etc). It's usage will also leave footprints on your credit profile which ultimately is what counts in credit building.

You don't have to use it, but in the case of the OP who doesn't have any form of credit yet, an overdraft could serve that purpose while waiting for other forms of credit to become available.

UrFears:


Thanks boss, I’m on the electoral roll already, though it was when I was at my old address

Update your address on the electoral roll if you haven't done so already.

UrFears:


Hi seniors,

So I successfully created a classic with Lloyds. I used the credit score feature on the app and apparently I don’t have any. I think the issue is from my address.

We recently moved to a new place in June and I’ve updated my address in that effect in most places (school, work,Revolut acc), but my I haven’t changed the address with the electoral ..

I’ll appreciate any guidance to start building one🙏🙏

I plan to move my salary from Revolut to Lloyds, I don’t earn much as a student, but I can save £300 monthly for now after bills..

My major bills include rent contribution, which I pay directly to my sis acc, then transport, groceries and data subscription (I use lebara), I’m think of doing their 12 months contract @ 22.50/month for unlimited data, since they run on vodaphone network and it cheaper than vodaphone plan… I use the data for my phone and PC, since we don’t have a WiFi at our new house.

I’d appreciate every advice 🙏

@Estroller, @Lexusgs430, @kwakudtraveller, @Viruses, @everyone

Get on the electoral roll. Get your name on your bill(s)(water, gas &/ electricity) if you can. Make use of the overdraft facility on your current if you have one, if you don't, you can apply for one. Apply for a credit builder card( run an eligibility check first) and lastly give it time. All the best.

Stevepop:
Hi everyone, can we apply for funded childcare hours for our 2 year old even if it’s just one parent that has ILR. My partner is yet to qualify for ILR as she’s yet to clock 5 years in the UK or both parent need to have access to public fund before we can qualify? TIA

Yes you can, but do it in the name of the parent with ILR.

meowvinn:
Hello please can anyone explain this cashback thing to me like I’m 5 years old pls. A lot of things still confuse me in this uk. Halifax offers me some cash back but I used to hesitate taking it cos I was thinking there must be some charge attached to it.

You basically get something back for all eligible transactions you make with your card/. Usually a % of the amount spent, it is often capped at a certain amount and sometimes it is a fixed amount.

profemebee:
thanks for the example.. very helpful.. i need to research on savings with better rates.. and hopefully not taxable .. like ISAs

Yes if the interest ≤ your personal savings allowance (PSA). You can earn up to £1000 in savings interest tax free as a basic rate tax payer and £500 as a higher rate tax payer. No PSA for additional rate tax payer.

UrFears:
Good morning Seniors, please i need some advice

Currently, I only have one bank , which is Revolut, it is also the I use to receive my salary and make any expenses, I don't have their physical card yet, I only use the digital card.

(1). I want to open a new majorly for savings, and maybe building my credit score. Which bank would you suggest I open an with.

(2). Is it okay to continue using Revolut as my main/salary , or after opening the new acc, I should use it as my main .

(3). I'm looking to buy a new iPhone (or refurbished), where is the best place to get a good deal/price.

Thanks bosses

If I were in your shoes, I'll open a new with any of the high street banks( Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds, Barclays etc they are all different variants of the same thing, just pick one) and move my salary there and possibly open another with a second neobank to complement the Revolut, chase is a good choice for your spendings as it gives a fairly decent cash back and has a linked savings with an ok interest rate. Generally for savings, go with the one that offers the highest interest rate.

Check the MSE mobile finder tool with the link below for your phone purchase.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheap-mobile-finder/

Zahra29:


One of the students in the article said he had the full funds for his course in his savings but the value was depleted by the currency crisis.

I'm curious, if this was the case and knowing how volatile the naira has been, wouldn't they have transferred the funds into pounds at the earliest opportunity to protect its value? Or is that not possible?

It is not uncommon for some to exchange their £ for ₦. Essentially selling theirs £ to the highest bidder in other to get as much ₦ as possible, they then use the converted ₦ to pay their fees at a much discounted rate using the CBN form A when it was a thing so they can get more £ than the one they converted. As the Form A process is not exactly swift, quite a number of people would have still been in the pool during the exchange rate crisis which would have truly decimated their savings.

profemebee:
i will be lying if i said i understood this lol

pls can you explain with an example (even if it is with dummy data)

thanks.

If your mortgage rate is say 2.5% and you can access a savings yielding say 5%. Instead of overpaying on that 2.5% mortgage, you'll keep the overpayments in the 5% savings and make the overpayment with the accrued sum in your 5% savings at the end of your fixed term. The strategy only works if you can get an interest rate on a savings that is higher than your mortgage rate, so it'll be a bit difficult to pull in this current "high" interest rate clime.

Santa2:
Completed on Friday, I don collect Key.

The guidance's received from this thread has been immeasurable. Started looking at properties last year April, we werent ready then, was just browsing to see what was available.

Late January we saw this property and decided to take the plunge, reserved in February and have been taking baby steps since as we werent in a hurry to complete, wanted completion to coincide with end of school term. Developers no gree for our pace.lol. We fixed with Barclays for 5 years at 4.55%, 10% deposit and 3/2-year residence in UK. Just before completion we checked if the rate had gone down but naaa, it was up to 4.83 or thereabout.

Its still surreal to me.

Thanks to every one that keeps spurring newbies like us on. I the rent money/dead money arguments on the other thread sometime ago. while some would take it as offensive others would see it as motivation. Na so life be. If I start to mention names for here we no go comot today, Lexus, Ticha, Lagosishome, Solumtoya, profemebee, Peerielass, Pearlyfaze, Estroller.. Na God go bless una. To Semmyk wey start this thread, thank for curating all those resources, you are special one, And I hope you doing great.

Congratulations on your new home.

opeoyek:
Hi everyone

Do I have to do a survey for an old build?

You don't have to, but it is in your interest to do one.

elengine:
@house, is two years stay in the UK compulsory before one can access mortgage? Rent money is dead money😀 and I'm mot happy seeing my money going to one small boy every month. Now my rent will expire this weekend and the guy has sent me a mail that he want to increase rent by 100 quid

No it is not, but bear in mind that some lenders will require you meet certain residency conditions before you can access competitive deals.

ToyosiR:
Hello All,

I just discussed with a Mortgage advisor and I am about to accept the mortgage in principle of 95% LTV. I have 5% deposit.

When will I need a solicitor? What other thing should I watch out for?

Kindly help a newbie.

@Lexusgs430: please I will also like to send you a mail or your if you wouldn't mind.

Have you found a house you want to buy yet?
Have you put in an offer on the house?
Has your offer been accepted by the vendor or developer?
All the above should happen first before you need a conveyancer/solicitor.
You can also get a survey of the house done before instructing a solicitor.

profemebee:
Signed sealed and delivered....

New build .. 12% deposit.. Barclays..

Thanks to everyoneeeeeeeeeeeee.. especially Lexus, Ticha, justwise, LagosismyHome, Deept, Estroller, Stevepop, Mohtunrahyor, Santa2, Zahra29, Solumtoya, Jedisco, Peerielass, bigtt76, newbie715, etc

I hope i didn't forget anyone...

Rent money isn't dead money tho....

Have a blessed day

Congratulations on your new home 🏠

mohtunrahyor:
IT’S MY TESTIMONY TIME 💃🏼
MOVED INTO MY NEW HOME 29th FEBRUARY

Principality 4.8% for 27% deposit (Including Help to Buy Wales) with 2 years in the UK.

LISA Contribution with my husband started 23rd of September 2022 and Completed October 2023 to get a total of £20,000 (bonus included)

I really appreciate all of the information and encouragement given on the platform.

Thanks to @Lexuss430 and everyone for taking time to reply messages.

No more DEAD MONEY 🎉

Congratulations on your new home

solveabode:


Pls let me ask this question, I have LISA with moneybox that will be 1 year in May 2024 but my wife just opened in February,2024 We are in the process of buying a house, would she be entitled to the 25% bonus in May as I have added her as buying partner?

Yes to the bonus. What you won't be able to do is use her own LISA towards the purchase, to do that, you'll have to wait till the 1st anniversary of her LISA. She will also not be able to use the LISA towards a home purchase in future as she would have lost her FTB status.

profemebee:
thanks for confirming, that was quick.. new build?

No, but I don't think it matters.

profemebee:
Great way to end the month of love

Congrats..

Is it true that land registry takes time and can be done after completion date?

Yes it can be done after completion. Ours took about a month.

Lexusgs430:


Congratulations on this achievement........ We are already uncocking our bottles of shiraz + fried goat meat...... In celebrations with you...... 🎊🎉🤣

RENT MONEY IS INDEED DEAD MONEY....... If you can do it, anyone can ..... With hardwork, sacrifice and determination....... Anything is possible..... 😜

I go like see the love letters, wey una dey send to unaselves......... 😅😂

Baba no dey ever tire to preach this gospel 😁 big ups to you💪🙌 Your converts don dey plenty, many more go still .

Pearlyfaze:
February ended with Keys in our Hands.

As we sit amidst boxes in the warm embrace of our very first home, our hearts are overflowing with gratitude. This moment, so monumental in our lives, was made possible not just by our dreams and efforts, but significantly by the , guidance, and encouragement we received along the way.
We wanted to take a moment to express our sincerest thanks to you. Your insightful advice, mortgage advice, financial guidance, etc was invaluable to us. Your wisdom and experience shed light on paths we hadn't considered and smoothed out the bumps on the road to homeownership.
This home is more than just a structure of bricks and mortar to us; it represents a milestone, a canvas for our future memories, and a testament to the enduring spirit of and community we've been lucky enough to experience. Every corner of it already echoes with the promise of future laughter, love, and the making of fond memories. And in every one of those moments, we'll the role you played in bringing this dream to fruition.
So, from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.

2years UK Resident.
Skilled Worker Visa.
New Build Home 3Bedroom
Developer: Gleeson
5% Deposit contribution
Kitchen and Bathroom upgrades and Free carpets
Lender: Barclays
Mortgage Tenor: 25years.
Deposit two years LISA Max out.
LTV 80%.

Congratulations on your new home! You write so well.

Juwon21:
My people,

Please any app that one can use in the UK to send money to USA bank ? I can't see USA on lemfi, I Will appreciate any other suggestions

Revolut or Mines?